Déjà vu
by DakotaBeor
Summary: After the events of Beyond, Kirk and Spock finally settle down to have an overdue conversation. However, being shown an artifact of Ambassador Spock's past has dire effects on Jim's mind. Will the crew find away to fix it before the Captain is lost?
1. Part One - An Overdue Conversation

**Part One - An Overdue Conversation**

Space the final frontier. A dark void filled the brim with shadows, disease and death. A darkness that only the cold light of dying stars could pierce, a light which although signified death also created life in its wake; whole systems filled to the brim with unique and utterly awe inspiring planets. It is the unknown mysteries of space, which inspire those to explore its furthest expanses. It is because of this passion for exploring the unknown, that the Enterprise and its crew exists.

Cruising through the void at warp factor four, the light of the stars slowly blurred into long white lines across the view screens which littered the ship's hull. The scenery on the other side of the thick panes of glass, contorting and bending as they travelled at the speed of light into unchartered space.

Basked in the blue tinged light emitted from one of the newly fitted warp pylons, two figures leaned over a tall glass chess board in the centre of one of the ready rooms aboard Starfleet's flagship. The lights in the room were dimmed to a comfortable darkness, shadows crept the walls behind the figures as only the soft glow from the glass chess board and its pieces highlighted the distinct features of the ship's Captain and First Officer.

"Jim it is your move."

Jim shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he tilted his head to the side in contemplation, his fingers rubbing the cold glass of the white pawn in his hands. "I am aware of that, Spock."

"It would appear that my previous move has disrupted your original plan." The Vulcan announced monotonously, his back ramrod straight and rigid as he eyed Kirk inquisitively.

Jim rolled his eyes in response as he leaned ever closer to the board before him, his hand; along with the chess piece, dangling above the spot he was considering to move to. "Believe that all you want Mr Spock-"

"I shall Captain." Spock interrupted, his posture shifting minutely as he proceeded to narrow his glare on to the pawn which was clasped within Jim's grasp. Slowly the Vulcan continued- "The past three years in space has shown me that your play style when it comes to chess is highly unpredictable. Therefore making you predictable."

Jim smirked as he paused in his movements, his mouth closing as he stopped biting his tongue playfully. "Then i am just going to have to change that aren't I?" The Captain commented in response.

With a gratifying sigh, Jim switched plans completely. Instead of going for the risky play he had been wanting to do, Jim opted more towards the safer more obvious play, resting his pawn down opposite Spock's knight. Kirk slowly glanced upwards from his lowered position, his eyes level with the board as he watched his first officer's reaction. Needless to say, a wave of success washed through his consciousness at the confused eyebrow quirk he received in response.

"I missed this." Jim sighed happily as he settled further into the leather chair, his clammy skin sticking to the material causing their silence to be filled with a soft crinkling sound. It was these moments which Kirk held on to the most, the days where there was no devastating mission which held countless lives in the balance. The days where he could rest and not walk about with the weight of countless worlds resting on his shoulders.

Spock tilted his head inquisitively as he ceased his strategic staring of the board, and instead addressed the Captain. "If you are referring to the activity of losing further games of chess to your first officer, i must agree that i to have 'missed' the interaction."

Jim chuckled softly as he shook his head, dispelling his previous thoughts. Sometimes he just couldn't get his head around Spock, other times he felt as if he had his book written. It was strange to think that this friendship they shared had blossomed out of something so violent. Jim's eyebrows creased inwardly as he remembered back to the comments he had made regarding the Vulcan's deceased mother, they were really times he wished he could forget.

The silence which followed was what alerted Kirk to his First Officer's troubles, only the gentle hum of the lights filled the room with any sort of sound. The Vulcan which remained seated across from him stared into an empty space before them, completely unaware of his move after only moments earlier egging the Captain on.

"Something on your mind Spock?" Jim questioned before he could even register that he had asked.

Spock seemed to snap from his trance, meeting Jim in the eye once more. Spock shook his head once before returning to the game at hand. Any other day Jim may have let the notion slip, but after everything they had been through he decided to press onwards.

"Come on. I can tell when something is bothering you" Kirk pressed, his attention no longer fixated on the game unfolding before them. Shifting in his chair once more, Jim leaned forwards his back arching as he clasped his hands together across his lap. He had hoped that his new posture would appear to be more inviting for the officer to speak his mind.

Spock refused at first to look at the captain, his deep brown eyes a turmoil of emotions as he considered his next words carefully. "Jim- If i may ask a personal enquiry regarding recent events."

If Kirk's interest hadn't already been quipped, then the use of his first name definitely had his attention.

"It is regarding your meeting with the commodore." Spock finished somewhat hesitantly.

' _Shit'_ Jim inwardly cursed.

It had been an inevitable conversation he knew, especially after the brief moment in which the pair had touched upon the subject during his surprise birthday drinks. But, Kirk in all his obliviousness had hoped that by simply ignoring the subject, that the need for talks would not arise. It was a childish move he would agree, but it wasn't that he didn't want to talk, it was that he didn't know what to say.

Realising that it was his turn to end the silence, the captain coughed halfheartedly. "I assumed you knew-"

"Jim, you misunderstand." Spock spoke over him once again, their eyes meeting in the soft blue light of the room. "Although i am aware of the subject being for your application as Admiralty, i am unaware as to why you did not feel the need to inform myself or the crew."

"I-" Jim's voice faltered. Before him, the Vulcan appeared to be unwillingly displaying his emotions. It was subtle, and to the normal eye nobody would notice. But the years with the Vulcan by his shoulder had rubbed off on him, for Kirk it was slight changes in the way in which Spock addressed him and moved which revealed more than the Vulcan wanted to. Sighing, the captain finished. "I wanted to tell you Spock, I just couldn't find the time."

Spock nodded slowly for a few moments, his eyes travelling the room before coming back to lock with Jim's. "Was it that you could not find the time, or that you were hesitant in letting us know your feelings?"

Jim's face contorted into one of surprise and confusion, a look at which Spock sought to remedy as he continued.

"Doctor McCoy has since filled me in on a conversation you both divulged over Mister Chekov's Scotch."

A hint of bitterness hit Jim in the gut, his eyes averted from his Commander and instead taking up to staring at the blurred stars which spanned the width of the window. Their light never ceasing to amaze him. "Since when did you two become good friends?" Jim blurted unwarrantedly.

Oblivious to the bitterness intended, Spock answered the question truthfully as he continued to watch the Captain passively. "Time spent with the Doctor on the surface of the planet has certainly changed my perspective on his and I relationship, to which i believe we have been 'friends' long before the incident transpired. However this fact should not refrain from my initial question, Jim."

"Both. I couldn't find the time- or the words." Kirk finally answered, his eyes still adverted from his first officer. "I didn't want you all to feel as if it was your fault i felt that way, it's hard to describe. It was just becoming-"

"Episodic"

Kirk's eyes snapped back to his first officer as he rose from his chair instantly, his posture defensive as his mind reeled inwardly. It had not been his voice which ended his explanation.

"You listened to my log?" Jim muttered somewhat dejectedly.

Spock appeared surprised at the sudden movement, his own hands unfolding as he slowly rose to his feet to remain eye level with Jim. "When inside the swarm ship, I had access to the same federation archives as Krall. I needed to see how deep he had infiltrated the federation. Listening to your log was not what neither I nor Doctor McCoy had desired to do."

Jim's eyes slowly sunk to the floor as he took a deep breath. He was unsure on how to proceed with the conversation. There was still so much that his First Officer did not know about his past, hell even Bones didn't have a clue what he had been through before Pike had found him in the bar that night. The feeling of being lost was not something which was unfamiliar to him, however having his weakness and personal emotions speculated by the Vulcan only made him feel vulnerable. It was not a feeling that James Tiberius Kirk enjoyed, especially when he was their Captain.

"You are not lost Jim." Spock stated suddenly, as if he had an insight into what sort of emotional wave was washing through the Captain's mind. Jim noted that his tone was softer and less robotic than it usually was, once again highlighting the unwanted sympathy he was receiving.

"The crew of the ship respect you as both their captain, and their-" Spock stepped forwards as he considered the human before him, the man who had sent him into a spiralling rage at the scene of his death, the man who always seemed to make him express his emotions despite his heritage. His -"friend." Spock finished for both himself and the Captain to hear.

Jim looked upwards as he smiled in gratitude, it still surprised him when Spock referred to them as 'friends'. "I know that now. Thank you… Spock."

Allowing his emotions to pool for a few more moments, Kirk quickly got to grips with them and buried them beneath his usual cheery facade. Biting away at the inside of his cheek the Captain turned and slowly wandered across the room away from their chess game and towards a desk which sat in the corner. "What about yourself then? There must have been more to what you wanted to tell me in the turbolift."

Spock tilted his head, noting the sudden change in Jim's emotions. "Captain, I do not-"

"Spock-" Jim turned slowly as he leant against the desk, his hands clasping tightly to the metal edge. "-you don't expect Bones to tell you of my conversation and not inform me of your own?"

Raising an eyebrow in consideration, the Vulcan wandered across the room slowly to meet Jim. "It would appear that i had not factored in the Doctor's lack of discretion for my own part."

Jim laughed briefly as he shook his head in disbelief. However his cheery mood was quickly dampened as he reflected on what Bones had briefly mentioned to him while drunk on the night of his celebrations. "Would you have left?"

"I had planned to. However like you i could not find the time to inform you of my- decision. Therefore the lack of time in consolidating my resignation is somewhat of a benefit, as i doubt i would still be present if we had spoken before the transgression with Krall"

Jim nodded slowly as he pulled himself away from the desk and approached his first officer, reaching his hand upwards, Kirk clasped the Vulcans shoulder giving it a tight squeeze in affection. "Well, If it's any consolation- I'm glad you stayed. I honestly don't know what i would do without you Spock."

Spock bared the contact on his shoulder with a brief glance before nodding once. "A phrase of which you have repeated throughout this whole ordeal Captain."

"Don't think i didn't noticed your lack of answers to! Besides, i say it so much because it's true-" Jim paused as he smirked mischievously -"But also because i was fishing for an answer. Come on Spock, no compliment for me?"

Spock's expressionless lips tightened at the ends in what could have been interpreted as a smirk. "I am also unsure of what my position in this universe would be without your presence captain."

Jim shrugged as he dropped his hand away from Spock's shoulder and moved around the desk to one of it's many draws. Clasping at the metal handle, Jim threw the first one open as he began to rifle through its contents. His bright blue eyes narrowing as he looked for a single item among the mess. "I'll take that" he muttered in response.

Spock however, had not finished. "In fact it is something of which i have been considering since Ambassador Spock's passing."

Jim froze in his searching as he slowly pulled out a bottle of Saurian Brandy, placing it on the glass desk with a soft 'chink' sound, the Captain frowned. "Oh-"

Leaving the brandy, Jim stepped to the side slightly taking up his initial position of standing before Spock. "Spock i'm sorry, i should have said. It must have been hard dealing with that on your own, i can't begin to imagine."

"The situation was… most dissatisfying." It was Spock's turn to stare into space, his eyes glistened with what Jim imagined was unfallen tears. However he was acutely aware that the Vulcan would deny their presence when confronted about them. "Ambassador Spock left his possessions in my name. An action of which i was both expecting but thoroughly surprised at. On the day of your birth celebrations, i took the time to visit the ambassadors storage box."

"You did?" Jim's eyes widened in response, while he had been meeting the commodore discussing the events with Krall, his friend had been fighting an emotional war. "Spock how comes you didn't say anything!"

"The situation at the time was one of celebration. Seeing as the day already represents such dark times for yourself, Jim, i did not mean to 'dampen the mood' further as the doctor would say." Spock stated simply. It was almost as if he had rehearsed his speech, only the brief moments of hesitation where the Vulcan opened his mouth before promptly closing it revealed to Kirk that his First Officer was speaking his mind freely.

"Spock you would never do that." Jim expressed as he shifted uncomfortably at the thought of his next words. "How did it… go?"

"I am fine, Jim, If that is what you are implying from your question."

Kirk frowned at the response he received, although he didn't know what he had expected in the first place. Afterall, who could say that they had experienced their own passing. "No i didnt- Nevermind."

Spock tilted his head as a notion of his enquiry before proceeding regardless. "The majority of the ambassadors belongings were relics of this world. However there were also some of his past world, the universe timeline in which he belonged."

Feeling the conversation wander into potentially unwarranted territory for Spock, Jim raised his hands in defense. "Spock you don't need to tell me what was-"

"I do.-" Spock continued, his tone hard. Kirk noted not to interrupt again as the Vulcan paused for a moment, his head dropping in thought. "As I believe you should see this… Jim. I believe that it is an artefact of which Ambassador Spock would have shared with his own-"

Spock met Jim's gaze again. "-Captain."

Slowly Spock's hands moved to behind his shirt where he unclasped a small storage box. Moving slowly towards Jim, the Vulcan pushed the metallic case into the Captain's hands. The metal box was warm to his touch, something which he attributed to Spock's naturally higher body temperature than his own. Its surface was a prismatic pattern, repetitive but beautiful in design. It was a pattern which Jim would also have linked to have represented Vulcan heritage.

Noting the presence of the strange object in his hands, Jim began to spin it around in his grasp. His mind wandering back to the conversation he had with Spock mere hours before their meeting. "Something tells me that you didn't just want to play chess anyway."

Ignoring Kirk's comment, Spock reached over and righted the small box into its original position before his fingers slowly slid the lid upwards causing the image inside to lighten drastically. Kirk's reaction was instant, leaning inwards his eyes narrowed before realisation dawned across features. Before him was an image, a collection of Starfleet officers dressed in a uniform of which he did not recognise. They all appeared to be aged and standing on an oddly familiar bridge.

"Is- Is that-"

Spock stepped away from the Captain, providing him more space. "I believe that it is the crew of the Enterprise, from the timeline of which Ambassador Spock belonged."

Kirk couldn't stop staring at the image, a soft white noise ringing in his ears as he slowly brought his hand up to stroke the picture. His actions did so with unjustifiable care, as if the image within his grasp was the most important object which belonged to him. Him? It wasn't his picture to keep, so why was the belonging of the Ambassador's stirring such thoughts from his own mind.

"Captain?"

Spock's questioning comment went unnoticed as the buzzing inside Jim's head seemed to grow louder. Jim frowned inwardly, the sound was reminiscent to tumbling waves as a barrel of emotions suddenly hit him again. Faint images, thoughts and smells seemed to reign his consciousness of which he did not recognise. It was as if he couldn't remember who he was anymore, and instead someone was filling his mind with their own presence. The last time he had experienced such a moment was years back, when he had been abandoned on-

Gasping for air, Jim reeled away from Spock, his eyes watering in response. He could feel his officer's gaze fixated on his back as he tried in vain to control his breathing. He had always been good at controlling his own emotions, especially when he took great care in hiding his experiences on Tarsus IV, but this- this wasn't his own emotions and they were too deep to reign in. "I recognise this. I- "Argh"

Jim's knees buckled as he fell to the ground, his hands clasping at his head tightly. The images were slowly gaining in clarity, however there still seemed to be a shimmering veil of shadows which hid them from him.

"Jim?"

Spock's worried tone cut through the darkness as Jim noted that the Vulcan's hands clasped at his shoulders. Turning to meet his gaze, Jim swallowed a dry lump which had formed at the base of his throat.

"Spock" Jim paused as he considered his next words carefully. "I remember this being taken."


	2. Part Two - Adverse Effects

**Part Two - Adverse Effects**

"Jim?"

Jim Kirk gasped breathlessly as he opened his eyes; instantly wincing in regret as a harsh light assaulted them. It would appear that the bright white lights of the recreational room had been restored to their usual function, temporarily blinding him as he woke. Flinching again at the intensity of the room's settings, the captain slowly began blinking away the blurriness as to focus in on his surroundings.

Before his head had exploded with a barrage of unfamiliar senses, he had been positioned across the room beside a small desk, moments away from uncorking a brand new bottle of Saurian Brandy. Jim confusedly noted however that it was no longer the case and instead found himself laying down across the full width of a nearby sofa. Splaying his fingers outwards experimentally, the captain pushed his fingertips into the textured ridges of the sofa; the cotton soft on his still callous hands.

Emerging further from the fog which clouded his senses, Jim tilted his head slowly to the side to face the dark silhouette which occupied his periphery vision. Deep brown eyes stared at him intently, their iris's twitching with every miniscule movement Jim displayed, with what could even be considered as worry plastered across their glassy exterior.

"Spock?" Jim croaked, his eyebrows furrowing at the tilted head expression Spock adopted before him.

Grunting in confusion, Jim pushed his elbows beneath his torso heaving himself upwards into a slouched sitting position. The pair of well positioned hands on his shoulders did not go unnoticed by the captain, as they urged him into a more comfortable angle than the one he had previously adopted. From his new vantage point, Kirk's eyes slowly grazed across the room in more detail than before, his mind slowly clicking into place as he tried to recall the journey from the desk to the sofa where he sat.

"Captain, are you well?"

Snapping his head back to Spock, Jim cleared his throat as he pulled his best grin on to his features. "I'm fine, Spock, why wouldn't I be?"

Spock seemed to consider the captain's words for a few moments, his mouth opening before slowly closing in hesitation. Rolling his eyes in response, Jim slowly repositioned his hands beneath his thighs, his muscles contorting as he began to slowly push himself upwards and away from his seat. An action of which he would have completed successfully, if the same cautioned hands from earlier hadn't of returned to his shoulders and pushed him forcefully back into place.

"I would not recommend that you further exert yourself, Captain." Spock announced as stepped away from Jim, his cautious hands returning to their usual position of being clasped behind his back.

Jim sighed overdramatically as he gestured to his legs, "I am pretty sure I can stand on my own, Spock."

"I do not underestimate your ability to stand, Captain." Spock stated as a matter of fact, his eyes falling back to examining Jim intently.

Kirk rolled his head to the side in amusement, which upon noting the action Spock reiterated his point with a more enforced tone. "Even with your adequate ability to stand unaided, I would recommend that you remain seated, Jim. My actions are not unwarranted, as you appeared to have lost consciousness for approximately one minute and thirty three seconds."

"I did?" Jim questioned automatically.

Spock simply inclined his head in affirmation.

Jim frowned inwardly, his mind slipping away from reality as he tried to navigate through the fog which clouded the forefront of his memories, searching intently for the events which had proceeded after he had viewed the photograph that Spock had produced. "Huh, I don't remember."

Spock seemed to stiffen ever so slightly in response, his head tilting to a precise angle as he straightened his posture. "It is not uncommon for humans to suffer a form of amnesia when losing consciousness. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of paging Doctor McCoy-"

"You can't be serious. Why bring Bones into this? I'm fine, Spock." Jim interrupted, his head falling back against the sofa as he took to staring up at the ceiling.

"During the time of which you were unconscious it appeared to be the most logical course of action. It is afterall, imperative that your health is 'fine', Captain, to ensure the smooth operation of the ship." Spock recited. After tracing the edges of the ceiling tiles with his eyes, Jim allowed his gaze to return to Spock. The Vulcan had since moved across the room and away from Jim efficiently, returning to the desk across the room.

"I am 'fine.'" Jim enforced with a smile, however his trademark grin soon dropped as he noted his first officer's attention was no longer fixated on himself. Kirk watched as Spock's hands slowly reach outwards to enclose around the small metallic photo frame; his long fingers tracing the delicate etchings across it's surface.

The soft buzzing which had before assaulted Jim's mind began to return, its presence making itself known. Unlike before though, a torrent of emotions, senses and feelings did not overpower his consciousness with it. Instead, it pulsed quietly in the background, as if something was blocking its full intensity; present but just out of his reach.

"To the contrary captain. Before you collapsed you cited that you recalled the image of Ambassador Spock being taken. As it is physically impossible that you would have been present during the time of the image, I have deducted that you may be suffering from some form of delusion most likely induced by the stress of the crew's most recent events." Spock finished as he tucked the frame back into its hidden position behind his back.

Being pulled away from his reverie, Jim quickly glanced away from staring at Spock, acting as if he hadn't witnessed the delicate care his first officer had adopted when handling the photo of which did not belong to the present timeline.

Feeling like he had just been stabbed in the gut, Jim flung himself up on to his feet; an action of which his body seemed to regret taking as soon as he had done so. Following through with his momentum, Jim once again lept without looking, and spoke without considering his words. "Yes Spock, that is exactly what i said."

'Well there goes the denial route'. Jim cursed inwardly as he realised his mistake.

If he didn't already have his first officer's full attention, Kirk certainly did have it now. Striding back across the room, Spock's eyebrow rose elegantly upwards towards his hairline. "Jim, the chances of you retaining a memory which does not belong to this timeline is mathematically incomputable, therefore making the situation you are implying impossible."

Jim went to retaliate his finger rising in defence. But he needn't to, as he paused when he noted Spock's expression.

Face tight and devoid of emotion, the vulcan's second eyebrow slowly relaxed as it decided to the join the other near the Spock's high hairline. Looking away from his first officer, Jim tried ever so hard to ignore what he had always described as the Vulcan's look of revelation. "Having not been present yourself when the photograph was taken, it is highly improbable that you could recall such a memory. Unless you were to have-"

Jim's eyes sheepishly rose to meet Spock's intense gaze. His brain barely noting how close Spock appeared to be standing before him, Jim felt the hairs on the back of his arms raise in anticipation. His gaze unknowingly providing his first officer all the information needed to draw a logical conclusion.

"It appears you have been withholding information from me, Captain." Spock announced, his tone sounding more official than ever. They were no longer talking as friends enjoying a break away from the bridge, but instead as colleagues.

'This is it' Kirk mused, This was how the secret Jim had managed to keep for so long, away from one of his closest friends, was revealed; by a stupid Vulcan stare down. Fixated by the Vulcan's intense stare, Jim noted that Spock appeared to be as emotionless from the outside as always. But only he and a select few could tell that beneath the surface, Spock was likely swelling with a torrent of uncontrollable feelings of hurt and betrayal.

The time for lying, joking and pure denial was over. Sighing Jim allowed himself to fall back against the sofa once again, no longer able to stay in such close proximity to Spock and his intense presence.

"It was so long ago now Spock, It didn't seem important to mention." Jim murmured in defeat. If he was honest, it would be true to say that he had considered telling Spock sooner about the mind meld he had shared with the ambassador. But after witnessing a similar moment on one of their missions on New Vulcan and with a more developed understanding of their culture, Jim had noted such melds were considered to be an intimate connection. Deciding that the action of informing Spock of the meld could instead hurt the Vulcan's feelings, Jim had decided against it.

Now he was regretting his hesitancy.

"You did not deem experiencing a mind meld to be important?" Spock questioned with a clear and concise tone.

"No."

Spock's teeth flashed as his chin seemed to jut outwards slightly. An action Kirk had regarded as a sign of anger and frustration. "Captain, without proper treatment from the drug Lexorin, a mind meld can cause adverse effects on species which are not Vulcan. Information of which is taught to all cadets in the early stages of academy enrolment."

"Luckily for me it didn't, did it Spock?" Jim splurted sarcastically in response, his hand batting away Spock's unwarranted comment. It was not only Spock who was getting angry, now Kirk found his own feathers being ruffled by his first officers unnecessary probing.

"To the contrary, Captain. It would appear that you retain memories of which are not yours. Memories of which are proceeding to cause yourself harm."

Jim heaved in frustration as he threw his arms outwards wildly. "I don't remember it like it was yesterday Spock! It's more like a sense of Déjà Vu. It just came with an almighty kick is all."

Spock stepped away from Jim as his jaw reset to its usual position. "I am unfamiliar with the term."

It was at that moment that the doors to the recreational room flew open, the compressed air mechanism which allowed them to slide open hissing in response. Slinking into the room with a hunched posture, the familiar figure of a disgruntled southern doctor waltzed into the room. Approaching his fellow officers, the doctor's mouth flexed in a circular motion as he continued to chow down on what Jim assumed to be the remnants of his meal from the mess.

"Déjà Vu" is a intuitive experience that has happened to majority of us. It comes from a word which means 'already seen' or something like that. When you get it, it's like a sensation which seems to spark our memory of a place or person we have already seen, or an act we have already done." Bones paused in his definition as he finally came to a stop beside the pair. "Sorry i couldn't help but overhear, you two are being louder than Scotty when he's arguing with a replicator."

"Bones, how nice of you to join us." Kirk drawled, his tone heavy with sarcasm as his day proceeded to go from bad to worse.

"Don't flatter yourself, I would much rather prefer to be finishing my perfectly good meal in the mess. I don't appreciate my free time being disturbed by a hobgoblin citing jarble." Bones blew a soft raspberry as he finished his rant, his hands crossing over his chest as he glanced between the command pair before him.

Spock spared the doctor a short glance, "To the contrary doctor, i was simply relaying the situation to you in as few of words as possible to decrease the time taken for your arrival."

Bones rolled his eyes as he directed his next question to Kirk. "Whats up?"

"I'm fine." Jim, the words slipping from his tongue easier than it probably should have done. Although it wasn't unusual for the captain to be hiding his ailments away from the doctor.

Bones's eyes narrowed as he turned his back to Jim and eyed Spock carefully, his hand rising as he pointed an accusatory finger at the Vulcan. "Hell if I have been paged here to babysit your overdue conversation Spock, I swear-"

"Captain you are ignoring the situation at hand. Once again it appears that you have opted to withhold information from your crew. An action which appears to be becoming increasingly regular despite its negative impact to crew morale." Spock countered, his eyes never leaving Jim despite the accusatory finger pointed all too closely to his face. Feeling like he could shrink under the weight of Spock's glare, Kirk tried all too hard to ignore the new set of eyes which turned to speculate him closely.

"He's withholding what now!" McCoy grumbled all too loudly.

"Bones just-" Jim rose from the seat as he gestured wildly to Bones with his hands, the order to instruct the doctor to 'shut-up' failing to pass his lips as he approached Spock once more. "Spock, it was years ago! You told me yourself that it was best not to let you know!"

"It is unlike you to follow orders given from your peers, Captain." Spock stated monotonously, his head shifting to the side as he added a brief side note to his statement. "Even if it was regarding the impacts of a mind meld."

"Wait a cotton picking minute- Meld? What did i just walk into here?"

Jim cursed inwardly at Spock's comment, it was as if he was purposely driving Bones into a frenzy before them. Turning away from the two of them, Jim took to gazing out of the window as his hand reached upwards and pinched the bridge of his nose. No words seemed to form on the top of his tongue, not even a cocky remark regarding Bones's choice of words. He was for once in his life speechless.

"Godammit, what's the point in me even being here if you're both going to ignore me and stare off at each other!"

Acknowledging the absence of any form of comment from Jim, Spock seized the momentary silence to finally inform the Doctor in on what the situation was regarding. "The Captain appears to be experiencing an adverse affect to viewing an image of which i obtained from Ambassador Spock's belongings."

"I'm not having any adverse effects." Jim sighed as he spun on his heel to meet the concerned looks of his friends, once again deeming the carefree facade he always wore when he was on duty as the captain. "Don't we all have work to be doing?"

Despite Jim's attempts at trying to divert the attention, Spock continued regardless. "Captain, I do not believe that you are fully understanding the importance of this situation."

Tutting in exasperation, Jim puffed his chest outwards as he crossed his arms over the surface of his golden tunic. "What's there to understand Spock? I looked at the picture and some memories popped up? I can't even remember them for sure."

"To the contrary Jim, you have confirmed twice now that you do indeed remember when the image was taken. Once before you collapsed and the second time after you had awoken."

Bones's face dropped as he glanced between Spock and then back to Jim, his hand instinctively reaching for his medical tricorder attached to his leather belt."Collapsed? Jim?"

The suffocating silence which had plagued Jim before seemed to return once more. Standing before them, Kirk's skin shivered as he could feel the gazes of Spock and Bones pouring over him. Only the soft whirring of the doctors medical tricorder, fully unsheathed from its protective casing seemed to fill the void.

Jim took a shuddering breath as the hair on the back of his neck rose. He was all too aware that his breathing was increasing ever so slightly in pace, Reaching to his side, Jim fumbled with his own leather belt as he pulled out his communicator. Relishing in the sensation the cold metal brought while clasped between his clammy palms.

Flipping open the top of the communicator, Kirk brought it up close to his face; earning an odd gaze from Spock and McCoy.

"Kirk to Bridge, Sulu did you just try to comm me? Was it about that thing you were trying to tell me about earlier?" Jim questioned, his head held high as if there was a much more important situation at hand.

To say the least, everyone in the room knew that no attempt had been made to contact the captain. But Jim needed a way out, and his mind was too frazzled at this point to come up with a comeback let alone a logical excuse for leaving his two friends behind.

With little interference, Sulu's voice suddenly broke through the communicator; seconds before Spock could interject. "Bridge to Captain Kirk, I- uh- I'm not sure i follow you Captain."

"Jim don't be such a child." Bones sighed with an exasperated tone, his medical tricorder slamming shut as he leaned heavily on one hip more than the other.

"I'll be right there Mister Sulu, Kirk out." Closing his communicator, Jim pushed past straight through the middle of Bones and Spock, careful not to touch the latter due to any chance of emotional transference from his touch telepathy.

"Excuse me" Kirk muttered almost breathlessly as he avoided the gazes sent his way.

"Jim-"

"Captain"

Ignoring the calls after him, Jim jumped up the stairs to the door two at a time before he proceeded to storm out of the recreational room. Submerging himself into the bustle of ensigns in the corridor, Jim increased his strides pace as he headed straight towards the bridge and away from the emotional whirlwind of which he had left behind.

* * *

 _ **A/N - Many thanks to Warrior717 and Katy A for their support and help.**_


	3. Part Three - Denial

**Part 3 - Denial**

Jim's mind was in chaos, the world around him a blur as he came to the end of the walk from the recreational room to the bridge. His eyes locked to an invisible point just in front of him, passing ensign's inclined their heads in respect however unlike usual the captain did not return the favour. Instead, his deep blue iris's studied the invisible spot just shy of him, his mind envisioning the faces which had been present on the picture Spock had shown him.

It was a strange sensation, to have memories and feelings of which are not your own swirling around in your head. His concentration and focus was waning with every passing minute as he struggle to retain his grip on reality. His mind constantly navigating back to the faces of his crew, his friends in a time to come. Heck if he did have such a bad migraine the whole situation might have been amusing, especially as he detailed the aged face of Bones smiling beside his chair.

' _Darn it man, you're giving me gray hair!'_

Jim could almost hear the conversation he had with the doctor a week after waking from his coma all them years ago.

' _Who ever thought going into a warp core was a good idea anyway!'_

' _It saved your life didn't it?'_

But just as his mind would wander away from the foreign memories, Jim found himself being pulled back into the disorienting blur as he was assaulted with the image Spock had shown him once again.

No. There was nothing wrong with him. It was just an effect of a mind meld, it would pass with time. He had experienced it before after all, mere moments after Ambassador Spock had broken the meld. Sometimes he could still feel the torrents of emotions that had washed over him; compromising every square inch of his mind.

' _Apologies, emotional transference can be an effect of a meld.'_

Emotions Kirk, he had said emotions not memories.

' _So you do feel.'_

Coming to a halt by the entrance to the nearest turbolift, Jim allowed himself a moment to breathe and compose himself. Reigning in his mind from his ongoing reverie, Jim leaned across and pressed the console beside the door to call a lift to the bridge.

A cold beep from the console signified that the call had been registered, and within seconds a harsh whistle rang through the air as almost instantaneously the doors opened. Frowning in surprise at the prompt arrival of the lift, Jim took in the familiar figure of lieutenant Uhura; her silhouette highlighted angelically by the the white LEDs which spanned the height of the lift. For a moment, he almost forgot about tinnitus that plagued his mind.

Forcing an all too sweet smile on to her face, the lieutenant flicked her hair over her shoulder at the sight before her.

"Captain" Uhura greeted as she stepped aside, allowing Jim room to move forwards.

"Lieutenant" Jim responded with the same air of authority that Nyota had decreed herself.

Donning his classic grin as a way to hide away his turmoil, Kirk acted as if he hadn't a care in the world.

Nodding towards the lieutenant, Kirk leaned across towards the control panel beside her, his finger lightly tracing the glassy surface of the interface as he expanded the destinations selection.

Lieutenant Uhura stiffened in response as the screen displayed the information of which the turbolift was returning from. Jim felt his eyebrows rise, he knew he shouldn't have been surprised in the prompt response of the lift. Especially as it had only been summoned to the floor of which he had been on, with no further history listed before that.

No it wasn't a surprise at all, especially when Uhura wasn't just an officer and friend to him, but also a partner to Spock.

Selecting the option for the bridge, the doors to the lift closed slowly as it slowly whirred to life.

Glancing across his shoulder, Jim coughed into his hand. "So, do you usually wait for me in turbo lifts?"

"No, captain." Uhura regarded instantly, her tone of voice conveying everything Jim needed to know to work out it was a lie.

Jim sighed silently, prepared to let the situation slide. The lieutenant on the other hand, was not. Hesitating for the briefest of moments, Nyota turned back to face Kirk directly; her eyes narrowing slightly. Reaching across fluidly, the young woman slowly pressed a single finger against the controls, causing the lift to come to a sudden stop. The capsule shuddered from its loss of momentum, the blue lights which had been counting down its arrival turning red.

"Uh-" Jim muttered as he raised an eyebrow to the lieutenant. His feet stepping away from the woman who seemed to watch him carefully.

"Permission to speak freely sir?" Uhura questioned, her arm retracting from the panel as she stood tall before him; radiating confidence.

"I have a feeling that regardless of what i say, you're going to ask anyway."

Nyota smirked as she nodded in confirmation. However the moment of humor was soon wiped from her face as her demeanor changed in a flutter.

"I hope for your sake that you aren't running away from this." The words left her mouth with a soft tone, it wasn't a threat or a warning but there was a slight tinge to it which wasn't to be taken lightly.

Genuinely confused, Jim raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head quizzically. "Excuse me?"

"You." Uhura visibly rolled her eyes as she suppressed a sigh, her arms crossing over her chest as if she was visibly restraining herself from over articulating. "I hope you aren't running away from speaking to Spock. I don't think you realise just how long he has been waiting to talk to you for, Its important and it's been plaguing his mind more than he likes to admit."

Jim struggled to fight away at the guilt which washed through him. "Lieutenant."

Uhura continued regardless, her body turning away as she stopped staring at the captain accusingly. "I would have thought that after everything we have been through, captain, you would set aside some time for him. I know myself and Spock are still mending, but it's been a while now since everything happened, all the loose ends are tied up. What i am trying to say is, you're the only friend he has."

"There's only so much that he tells me now, Jim, and after everything that's happened with Krall and the Ambassador i think you owe it to him to hear him out. We both know he's not as emotionless as he likes to think."

"Look, Uhura…"

"Leonard said that you both had to speak to each other, and that as long as you were together in the same place then it would all get sorted. So, captain, imagine my surprise when I hear that despite my efforts of purposefully keeping your channel clear to avoid any interruptions, you go ahead and make up some fake interference deriving from-"

"Nyota!"

Nyota seemed to visibly bite her lip holding back her rant further. Shifting his body weight between his feet, Jim turned to face the woman before him.

"I've spoken to Spock, I can assure you that everything is fine. We've talked and it's all sorted."

"You have?" Uhura questioned as she turned to meet the captain's gaze, her eyes alight with relief.

"Yes."

A beautiful smile filled the lieutenant's face as she visibly relaxed. Stepping away from the captain, she resumed her usual position beside him. Jim mirrored the action, his shoulders falling to resume his usual carefree outlook.

"Captain, if i may ask- why? Why did you comm Sulu about the bridge?" Nyota probed gently, her eyes locked on the control panel as she tapped away to resume the turbolifts functions.

"I-" Jim paused as his head dropped to his chest. Taking a deep breathe, the captain continued. "I just needed some time to myself, away from Bones and Spock. Sometimes they can be a little smothering."

Noting that the soft tapping of the lieutenants nails against the glass control panel had ceased, Jim risked a brief glance across to Uhura. The action confirming his suspicions as he was met by a worrying gaze.

"Look it was childish i know but, it's all i could think of at the time." Jim blurted in a flustered manner, his hand rising as he batted away the concern.

"I'm sorry, captain. But with all due respect, their worry usually comes with good reason, you are notorious for getting yourself into overly complicated scenarios."

"I'm not the only one." Jim stated as a matter of fact, his bright blue eyes meeting the soft hazel of Uhura's. Kirk felt his features soften as memories of the Enterprise's initial destruction came to mind. He had been fighting with Krall, trying so desperately to separate the disk and give the remainder of his crew a fighting chance to survive and escape. In the flurry of the action, he hadn't noticed Uhura's presence until she had sacrificed herself for them all.

"Do you think Spock would be pleased to hear you would have sacrificed yourself for me."

"Don't feel so self righteous captain, it was for the ship." Uhura teased as she turned her attention back to the control panel. "However I would appreciate it if you did not raise the subject with the commander."

Jim allowed a moment of silence to be a signal of respect towards Uhura's decision before continuing, "It's good to see the two of you are back on talking terms. I remember how bad it was the last time you were fighting."

"The loss of the Enterprise and close friends opened everyone's eyes, captain. Even to the things we didn't want to acknowledge at the time."

Uhura reached across and started the turbolift again, it briefly sped back up to its original speed before slowing as it reached its final destination. Allowing his head to fall, Jim took the moment to recompose himself once again, the action not going unnoticed by the officer beside him.

"I hope you are okay, sir, if you need to talk please know that i am here."

Jim turned to face Uhura, a small but warm smile filling his features as he nodded slowly in acknowledgement. "Likewise, Lieutenant."

At that the lift came to a halt, the compressed air mechanism for the doors hissing softly as they slowly slid open to reveal the Enterprise's bridge in all of its glory.

"Keptin on the bridge" The all too familiar russian call filled room.

Strolling forwards, Jim smirked. The overwhelming rush of appreciation would never get old. "Thank you Mister Chekov, good to see that you're back to your usual self."

The russian whizkid, who had been discharged from duty due to contracting a form of the Orion flu had been quarantined away from everyone- especially Kirk for the past two days, leaving a much quieter ensign by the name of Anker to take his place. The change had unsettled much of the main bridge crew initially, especially when the young kid was such a bright soul. It was hard to image the place without him.

"Aye Keptin, Doctor McCoy is very good at his job, despite his bedside manner. It is good to be back." Chekov smiled as he turned back to his desk and began to tap away once more at the console before him.

Uhura strolled out from behind Kirk, her hands tracing the white banister which separated the upper level of the bridge away from the lower level. Her eyes never leaving Chekov's. "It's good to have you back, Mister Chekov. I did start to miss that accent of yours."

The kid smiled to himself in response, "Aye, lieutenant Uhura, you make me blush."

Shaking his head at the interaction, Kirk turned as he entered the lower area of the bridge and approached the chair in the center of the room. Before him, the Enterprise's best pilot sat comfortably in the chair, his legs crossed over as he stared ahead at the viewscreen before him. "Mister Sulu, still got a love for the chair I see."

"Love for the chair? He's practically obsessed!" Uhura sung across the room, earning a chuckle from the majority of the crew present.

"Aye, I must agree with the Lieutenant, Mister Sulu." Chekov murmured in agreement as the pilot in question stood upwards slowly and relieved himself from the chair.

"Thank you, Mister Chekov. It's good to know you have my back." Sulu sighed as he pulled his own chair around and settled back into the pilot's seat. Pausing for a moment as he glanced back to regard Kirk, "With respect sir, Captain Sulu does sound good."

Like falling into a body of water from a height, an overwhelming sense of nausea crashed over Kirk as his vision blurred. The scene around him appearing to fracture and pulsate as it changed form from the bridge, to a scene which was oddly familiar. The buzzing which had constantly plagued his mind, slowly alleviating as the twitching and morphing of the instance he found himself in ceased.

Stumbling forwards, Jim spun around frantically; his blue eyes taking in every detail they sought. However impossible as it may sound, he was still on the Enterprise.

But instead of being his own ship, he was instead on the Enterprise which belonged to Ambassador Spock's timeline. That much was derivable from the stark difference of the bridge interior.

" _Once again we have saved civilisation as we know it!"_

Jim spun around to face the voice which echoed throughout the bridge, his eyes falling on the turbolift entrance he had passed through moments before. The doors in question were open as a flurry of officers walked forwards and into the room, his alternative self leading the way.

" _Aye, Keptin"_

" _And the good news is that they're not going to prosecute us for it!"_ Scotty's alternate self responded, as he waltzed across to the opposite side of the bridge and settled in to one of the stations.

Jim frowned in confusion as he slowly stumbled forwards, his hand reaching out for his alternate self who had settled into the Captain's chair. "Uh- Excuse-"

Kirk struggled to suppress the surprised yelp as his hand passed through his alternate self's shoulder. "What the-"

" _Well they might aswell have persecuted me! I felt like lieutenant Polaris!"_ Uhura exclaimed as she returned to what Jim assumed to be her communications station. With a soft click, the older woman settled into her chair, her hand rising up to correct the positioning of her greying hair.

" _Luckily they don't arrest people for having feelings."_

Jim turned back to the rest of the aging group he recognised as his crew, Bones was standing off to the side beside Spock, engaged with the Vulcan in a heated stare down. An unexplainable surge of warmth filled Jim as he watched Spock simply raised his eyebrow in response to the Doctor's comment.

" _Da, It's a good thing too, If they did then we would all need to turn ourselves in."_ Unable to move, Jim flinched as a much older looking Chekov passed straight through the center of him. It was as if he was a ghost, caught in a moment where he was able to watch but unable to effect the environment around him.

Moments away from resigning to the idea that he had finally lost his mind, Jim opened his mouth to try capturing the figments attentions again when a sharp whistling sound filled the air. Turning to face its origin, Kirk gasped as the viewscreen flickered to life.

Before them sat the only missing member of the bridge crew. Mister Sulu shuffled slightly as he relaxed back into what appeared to be his own chair, his eyes shining with admiration as a small smirk covered his features.

" _Captain Kirk."_

"Mister Sulu…" Jim breathed as he stepped forwards once more, returning to his initial position beside his chair.

" _Captain Sulu"_ His counterpart announced, as if correcting Jim on his mistake. " _Much to the crew of the Enterprise I owe you my thanks."_

Kirk gasped, his head dropping as he clutched at his knees. A sudden sharp pain tore relentlessly through the captain's head once again, his eyes watering as the tinnitus slowly returned. Recovering, Jim stood slowly to turn his attention to the viewscreen; the world around him beginning to vibrate and morph once again.

" _Its nice to see you in action one more time. Take care, Captain Kirk"_

Jim screwed his eyes shut as Sulu's last words rung through his head, echoing ominously as the world took a sickening lurch.

" _Captain Kirk, Captain Kirk-"_

"Captain?"

Opening his eyes, Jim flinched as the familiar white light of his own Enterprise's bridge stunned him for a few moments. Wiping the look of pain from his features, Kirk took the moment to assess his situation. He was still standing in the very position he had been in before the hallucination had occurred- if he could call it that. The reality of the vision had already dawned on Jim, the fact that it was a most likely memory which belonged to Ambassador Spock didn't seem to surprise him. But why did it overpower him completely so suddenly?

"Sorry, lost myself for a moment there." Jim pardoned as he finished the ascent to his chair, ignoring the worried glances his officers shared he settled back into the familiar constraints of the leather seat. "How's our ship?"

As if on cue, Commander Spock accompanied by Doctor McCoy waltzed on to the bridge. A moment sooner and Jim would probably have been carted off down towards Sickbay. Ignoring the click of their boots on the tiled floor, Jim narrowed his gaze in on Chekov.

Shaking his head in a flustered manner, the young ensign took a final glance at the captain before turning back to his monitors. "Da, all systems are normal keptin. We are successfully maintaining warp at factor two as we head to the nearest star system."

Jim smirked as he nodded in confirmation. "Got it no change there then, Lieutenant Uhura any incoming messages i should know about now?"

"No sir, no messages have been received. My team are still working on decrypting the message we intercepted yesterday, I will hopefully have a report ready for you by the end of the day."

"Good work, Lieutenant." Jim enforced, his tone threatening to betray a sense of boredom. The last thing he needed was another report to join the pile which his Yeoman demanded signage on.

Swiveling in the chair, Jim turned his attention back to the ship's star pilot. "Captain Sulu-"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the bridge fell into complete silence. You could almost hear a pin drop if it wasn't for the repetitive beeping tone of the bridges instruments.

Jim bit the inside of his lip. He could practically feel the intense gaze of Doctor McCoy burning into the back of his skull. He knew that Sulu wasn't a captain, what he had seen was not real. But the words felt right, and slipped all too easily from his tongue. Perhaps Spock and McCoy were right, perhaps-

"Pardon, Sir?"

Jim's mind was pulled from his reverie as he straightened in his chair, an emergency cocky facade donning his features.

"I'm just pulling your leg. Mister Sulu!" Jim excused as he forced a short laugh. "Maintain the course we already have set, but how about we bump up the warp factor a little? I fancy stretching my legs."

Sulu raised an eyebrow, his eyes darting across to meet Chekov's as the two shared a moment of curiosity before continuing, "Yes sir, may i suggest a warp factor of five? It will decrease travel time to two hours."

Cocking his head to the side in agreement, Kirk smirked. "Take it away."

Sulu spun in his chair, his hands flying across the console as he prepared to increase the speed of which they warped. Leaning backwards, the lieutenant clutched on to the silver lever beside him pushing it forwards a couple of notches.

The effect was instantaneous on the space around them, the lines of light which already streaked across the viewscreen extended further increasing in brightness as the ship gained speed significantly. For the crew however, the change in which they travelled was barely noticeable.

A sudden weight on his shoulder caused Kirk to jump in his seat, his head turning to the side to identify Bones looking upon him with concern. "Seeing as the bridge is no longer in need of your presence, Jim, perhaps you'd like to accompany Spock and me down to Sickbay?"

Pushing the hand from his shoulder, Jim rose from his seat. "Not now Bones."

Turning Kirk gently pushed past the doctor and approached his first officer's science station, his hand leaning against the wall beside it. "Spock, have your scientists got any information for us about the system we're headed to?"

Spock tilted his head in consideration before rising from his own seat to meet Jim. His hand clasped in their usual position behind his back."Yes, captain, however i must recommend that-"

"The system please, Spock." Jim commanded, his jaw jutting outwards in annoyance.

Noting the subtle change in expression displayed before him, Spock straightened his back significantly. "Very well captain, a preliminary scan of the system chosen by mister Chekov indicated the presence of three class m planets orbiting a red giant. On further examination, the results show that one of the three planets may harbour the conditions necessary for the presence of life. A factor of which we will need to take into account when on a final approach."

"Noted." Jim smiled, his eyes studying Spock. If he hadn't of been, then he probably wouldn't have noticed the sudden dart of his eyes between himself and a position just behind him.

"Spock, Is there-" A sharp pain penetrated Jim's neck suddenly as a white hot pressure leaked into his veins. Gasping, the captain turned all too abruptly to face the perpetrator; his hand clasped to his neck. "OUCH!"

"Gotcha, you oversized punch bag." Bones celebrated with a sadistic smile.

"Bones!" Jim chided with a sullen glare, his eyes watching the doctor like a hawk as he slowly stowed the hypo away in the medkit he had concealed when he had first entered the bridge.

"Treat people as you would like to be treated, Jim. You act like a child, I act like a child!" Bones grunted in response, his finger jutting outwards between them both as he emphasised his point.

Sighing in frustration, Jim took the moment to glance around the bridge. Much to his relief, the crew had maintained their attention on their jobs at hand, the only set of eyes which seemed to be studying them being that of lieutenant Uhura's as she leaned in closer beside Spock's station.

"Alright I get it okay!" Jim hushed as he glanced between Bones and Spock. Kirk prepared himself to move on and change the conversation, however a simple change in his condition stopped him in his tracks.

Raising a hand to the side of his temple, Jim slowly massaged one of the more tender spots on his head. No longer did his head pulse and ache with the tinnitus that had bothered him before, instead a sweet numbness filled its void.

"What was that for anyway?" Jim asked nonchalantly as he dropped his hand and raised his eyebrows. He would make sure to note down whatever painkiller the doctor had used for future migraines.

"Why did it work you idiot?" Bones grumbled, his hands clasping tighter to the medkit as he leaned in closer.

"Come on, Bones."

"Do you really want me to say it, here? Because i will happily let the commander explain the effects of Lexorin." Leonard scolded as he gestured across to the Vulcan beside them. Spock maintained his stoic look, his eyes constantly switching between both Jim and Bones.

"Lexorin?" Lieutenant Uhura questioned as she to began to merge into the conversation at hand. All three gazes turned to meet her own as she stared distantly between Spock and Jim, her mind working over time as she began to draw conclusions. "Isn't that-"

"ARGH!" A chorus of grunts filled the air as the ship came to a sudden and abrupt stop.

Those seated seemed to take the sudden stop better than those standing, simply falling forwards in their seats. For Spock, Jim and Bones however the loss in momentum had a greater effect.

Stumbling backwards, Bones fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs he narrowly missed smacking his head on the side of the banister. The medkit which had been clasped tightly in his hands, cluttering to the floor and sliding down into the lower section of the bridge.

Jim's own body lurched forwards, almost following the doctor suit. He would have most likely succeeded in smacking his temple however, if it wasn't for the steadying hand of his first officer and friend. Clutching on to Jim's elbow with a Vulcan vice like grip, Spock reacted instantaneously as his remaining hand latched tightly on to the side of his station balancing them both out once more.

"What was that, Mister Sulu!" Jim commanded as he glanced across to Spock; his head inclining as a sign of gratitude. Returning the notion, Spock released his grip on the captain's sleeve and returned to his original posture.

"I don't know! It appears engineering dropped us manually from warp!" Sulu called across the room as he began working on repositioning the Enterprise.

"Could have at least gave us some warning! Bloody madman thinks i'm built like a cat." Bones scowled as he adjusted in his new position on the floor. Stepping past Jim, Spock approached the doctor slowly; his hand extending outwards as he began to aid the man once more to his feet.

Gripping the communicator from his belt, Kirk flipped the metallic casing open. "Scotty?"

A series of chirps emitted from the device as it confirmed a connection, "I am as happy about this as you are Cap'n! I got an emergency request to drop us from warp, a Lieutenant Hansen said it was essential!" Scotty recited as he quickly slammed the line shut from his end, presumably to deal with the fallout from the sudden stop.

"Uhura get me Lieutenant Hansen." Jim commanded as moved to hover over the shoulder of the Nyota. Nodding in confirmation, Uhura began to work away at her console. Her hair flicking across her shoulder as she leaned inwards in concentration.

"Captain i do not believe that is necessary." Spock interrupted from his position beside the doctor.

"Why?" Jim questioned, not bothering to look up from Uhura's console as she narrowed her search down for the correct Lieutenant Hansen.

"It would appear that the Lieutenants reasonings are quite clear."

Turning abruptly, Jim frowned as he stared at Spock. He didn't know what he was expecting when he turned to face them, but it definitely was not the distant passive gaze of Spock and the flabbergasted expression of Bones. Both of their attentions seemed to be fixated on the viewscreen behind him, causing an uneasy worry to settle in the pit of his stomach. Turning slowly, Jim decided to follow their gaze of sight, his heart lurching in his chest at what he saw.

Despite Sulu's best repositioning, the viewscreen was still a deathly black. Initially, when they had first dropped from warp, Jim hadn't taken any notice; instead assuming it was a malfunction of some kind. However, from where they were now it was possible to see the outline of swirling light and matter, a turmoil of storming gases swirling around the never ending darkness at its centre.

"Holy mother of f-"

"Bones." Jim cut the doctor off before he could finish. His feet stumbling forwards as he left Uhura's station to move closer to the screen before him. "Spock, is that what i think it is?"

"Indeed, captain, we appear to have warped into the presence of a singularity."

 **A/N** \- Thank you to everyone who has followed, Favorited and reviewed this story! I really was not expecting this response and it inspires me to continue!


	4. Part Four - Singularity

**Part Four - Singularity**

The presence of the back hole sent a deep chill through Jim as he stared at the viewscreen intently. The black twisting oblivion awakening ever darker thoughts in his mind. If you had asked him seven years ago what he imagined death to be like, then the twisted nether displayed before him would have been the closest thing to an answer he could describe.

That viewpoint all changed however after he met the sensation with open arms. Even after four years, the warp core incident was not a conversation anyone liked to refer to, not even Spock; or so he liked to think. Jim had put it all down to his crew being overly emotional at the mere thought of his demise, but the reality of the situation really came down to Kirk. He was the one who couldn't talk about it.

" _Spock!"_

Jim's eyes flew open instantly at the sound of his aged voice. Unlike the moment he had experienced mere minutes ago, he was still on his own bridge; the crew around him busy working on their scans of the singularity. The tinnitus which had plagued his mind was no longer present however, a factor of which Jim had put down to the hypospray Doctor McCoy had assaulted him with.

Sighing in relief, Jim turned back to the viewscreen before him.

All thoughts of resigning the voice to a mere mistake vanished as the image of his older self appeared on the other side of the viewscreen. His aged blue eyes stared into his soul as the ghostly apparition slowly fell to his knees before him. Jim knew deep down that it wasn't real, but the feeling of fear which stirred within him couldn't be easily ignored.

Suppressing the urge to jump from his skin, Jim backed away slightly.

" _I never took the Kobiyashi Maru test, what do you think of my solution?"_

Ambassador Spock's aged tone echoed ominously through the room and his mind. As if in response, the image of his older self pressed his hand against the glass of the viewscreen, his fingers trembling in fear and anger while his face remained ever stoic of all emotions. Being a version of himself, Jim could tell when he was trying to be brave.

" _Spock…"_ Jim's older self sighed in defeat, his eyes watering as his head fell forwards. The grief, hurt and anger bubbling to the surface.

Kirk watched with a slight fascination as his older self spread his fingers apart in the Vulcan farewell. He knew exactly where the memory was derived from, how could he not? Especially when the events playing out before him were awakening all too familiar feelings of his own. His mind sought to balance itself, the images reenacting before him were not what happened in his own timeline, but they felt too real.

As if living through the scenario once wasn't bad enough, Jim's head now had two versions floating around.

A wave of overpowering emotions washed through Kirk, it felt like he was drowning in grief as wild untrue thoughts of lost time threatened to overturn his calm and stable grip on his own mind. It was all too similar to feelings he had after the meld on Delta Vega.

Shaking his head in a vain attempt to gain control, Jim turned away and marched in the opposite direction from the screen; insistently repeating the same sentence in his head as he willed for his mind to control the tidal wave of forces and return to its usual calm state.

' _It's not real'._

Jim grunted as he reached the main console, his hands gripping its edge with ferocity as he dipped his head forwards.

"Mister Sulu, give me some good news." Jim ordered, anxious to return to the unsettling situation at hand.

Looking upwards from the task he had been focusing on, the pilot frowned slightly as he shrugged in response. "There isn't much to report sir, other than we aren't caught in its gravity. If we hadn't of been dropped from warp when we did I don't know what would have happened."

Jim nodded as he took pleasure in realising that no-one had noticed his spaced out moment once more. If they had, then he would probably already be unconscious and headed to Sickbay in Doctor McCoy's arms. Speaking of the doctor, Jim risked a brief glance across to Bones who stood staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

' _Well, almost no-one.'_

Following McCoy's gaze, Jim noted numbly of the tight grip in which he held on to the edge of the console; his knuckles turning a stark white at the pressure. Releasing his death grip, Kirk leaned away only just noticing Sulu's keen eyes awaiting a response.

Clearing his throat, Jim picked up the conversation. "I don't want to find out either. Do you think you could manoeuvre us further away?"

Sulu smirked as cocked his head to the side, his hands already interacting with the touchscreen of his console. "Working on it now, sir."

"Reposition us? Jim!" McCoy cried. Stomping forwards to his normal position by the chair, the doctor flicked his eyes between the captain and the monstrosity before them. The first aid kit that he had brought to the bridge with him, long forgotten. "That thing is a death trap! How comes we aren't just warping out of here!"

Like a shadow, Spock stepped aside from his position beside Jim. Kirk frowned as he noted the closeness of his officer, he hadn't realised that Spock had moved from his science station until then; when he could almost smell the scent of his uniform. Moving away at the sudden closeness, Kirk noted rather abrasively that Bones obviously wasn't the only one to acknowledge his strange behavior.

"Because doctor, the captain plans to uncover why this singularity was not detected on any of the preliminary scans." Spock glanced minutely across to Kirk, his jaw tightening before turning back to McCoy. "I can assure you, If it had been then navigation would have considerably altered our chosen destination."

Rolling his eyes, Bones threw his arms up high. "As if that's supposed to reassure me! Why didn't it pick up our scans? I thought this ship was the best!"

The bridge crew fell into a moment of silence, only the occasional bleep of the consoles and tapping of its personnel filling the expanse. Taking the moment of silence into his own, Chekov spun in his chair; the metal emitting a soft squeak as he repositioned himself to be able to face both Leonard McCoy and Jim Kirk. "Aye, when the Enterprise was rebuilt in Yorktown, ze ship's systems were upgraded, I must mirror the doctor in concern."

Rolling his eyes, Bones rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Don't say that kid, you'll give me a complex."

If the situation they were in had been any different, then Jim would have laughed. Instead, he remained silent, his face stoic as he considered the possible scenario's at hand. Was it obscene to theorise that someone had tampered with the equipment aboard the ship? If so what were their intentions and were the scanners the only thing sabotaged?

"Captain, I am detecting traces of a signal." Lieutenant Uhura voiced as she turned away from her own station. Meeting Spock's eyes, the lieutenant beckoned the commander over with a simple twitch of her head. "I am struggling to decipher its contents."

Within three long strides, Spock had moved to his usual position beside Uhura, his human hazel eyes falling on to the console before her.

"The majority of the signal is being lost due to the gravity of the singularity." Spock recited as if a matter of fact, his head tilting in curiosity. "Perhaps adjusting the frequency modulators may ameliorate for the anomaly."

Jim watched as Uhura's head tilted to the side, her eyes meeting Spock's as the couple shared a brief moment of appreciation. Nodding in confirmation, Nyota turned back to her station her fingers flying across the console as she began to adjust the frequency modulators as suggested by Spock.

"Sir! Scans reveal a nearby planet orbiting the singularity!" An unknown ensign called from across the room, their voice breaking with hesitation.

"Planet?" Jim questioned as if surprised, his head spinning as he searched the room for the origin of the voice. As no member of the team appeared to nod in approval, Jim leaned in closer to his star pilot once more.

"Mister Sulu, get me a visual!"

Hikaru nodded once, his eyes hesitating on the console before him as he stared numbly at the controls. Noticing Sulu's confusion, Chekov nudged the pilot encouragingly as he glanced across to his partner in crime. "You'll need to turn the ship seventy degrees portside Hikaru."

Mister Sulu beamed as he cocked his head in affirmation. "Thanks Pavel."

Turning back to their respective stations, the two continued their duties as they analysed the space surrounding the Enterprise. Jim smiled at the teamwork displayed before him, it was not the first time that his crew made him swell with pride and it most definitely wouldn't be the last.

As the Enterprise began to rise and twist to the side, Jim turned his back to the console as he stared out at the screen before him once more. Still the swirling concoction of fallen stars twisted and turned around the neverending oblivion, towering over the gleaming flagship with its foreboding presence.

As the ship finished its adjustments, it became clear that the horizon of the singularity was not as smooth as it initially appeared, although the disk of voracious matter had initially appeared incredibly smooth and thin in appearance, there also seemed to be break in the torrents in the form of a large rocky planet.

Jim stared with his mouth ajar as he took in the presence of the planet, even from their position he could see that it supported an atmosphere against the harsh cosmic conditions it was harboured within. Suddenly the command chair began to crackle to life as an incoming transmission requested response. "Scotty to Bridge."

Moving across the room to the chair, Spock pressed down on the communications button on the arm; the action causing the whole bridge to crackle to life. Jim barely moved from his position, his feet locked into place as he continued to bask in the image before him. It was oddly engrossing, that such a beautiful view could have been created from deadly and destructive origins.

"Mister Scott." Spock regarded as he clasped his hands neatly behind his back. Blinking slowly, Jim spun on his heel to meet the Vulcan's gaze. Spock regarded Kirk silently, his eyebrows simply raised as he awaited a response from his captain.

Scuffling his feet, Kirk moved around to the other side of the navigational console; his arm gripping the back of Chekhov's chair as he ignored Spock's gaze and stared over the young kids shoulder to the console; he did not know what his eyes were searching for, but anything was better than acknowledging the set of eyes locked on to his back.

"How is everything doing down there Scotty!"

Mister Scott seemed to scoff at the comment, a rattling and clanking of metal on metal filling the line before his heavy Scottish accent returned. "Everything is fine down here Cap, I just wanted to say- please don't get any closer to that thing. I don't want to be losing more warp cells."

"Don't plan to. Kirk out."

Pushing away from Chekov's console, Jim returned to his chair without another word; his hands tracing the arms as he toyed with the buttons on the controls either side of him. His concentration was waning, between staring out of the viewscreen and becoming lost in memories and theories which were not his own, it was only a matter of time before he made a mistake.

"Captain, is something wrong?" Spock questioned, as if he had heard the internal musings of his captain before him.

Without turning to acknowledge his second in command, Jim stared towards the screen his eyes twitching as he read the snippets of information pouring in from the scan results. "Just thinking. Is it possible we didn't pick this thing up on the scans because they were tampered with?"

"It is a logical assumption, Jim, one we must not discourage until all facts have been presented." Spock replied, his tone hushed as to not draw any further attention from the crew around them. Much to the Kirk's disdain however, Bones appeared to stiffen at the comment on his left leading the captain to derive that the doctor had indeed overheard the statement made.

"The signals coming from the planet!" A male officer announced to the bridge, his eyes bright with success as he leant away from his console in accomplishment.

The ensigns success was cut short however, as Lieutenant Uhura raised a single hand to silence him. "No it's not, it's coming from a... ship. Sir, I believe there may be a ship in close proximity to the planet."

Jim's eyes met Uhura's as he noted the look of unwarranted panic which filled her features. Without turning, Kirk cleared his throat, "Mister Chekov can you magnify the image of the planet?"

"Da. I GOT IT!" The young russian announced as he leant inwards in concentration. As the kid had exclaimed, the viewscreen pulsed as it narrowed inwards on to the planet. True to Uhura's suspicions a dark shadow appeared to be orbiting high above the planet's atmosphere; its appearance merely a dark shadow as it slipped behind the rocky planets rim.

"Lieutenant, can you hail them?" Kirk questioned, however he had a suspicion he already knew the answer.

"Such an action would prove ineffective captain." Spock announced softly as he gazed down to the captain beside him. "Scans of the planet reveal that unlike the Enterprise, the celestial body is caught within the singularity's gravity."

Jim winced as unwarranted thoughts of Vulcan simmered to the forefront of his mind, untold pain and suffering causing a pinch of overriding guilt to tug in his chest. His reverie was soon cut short however as Spock continued his analysis monotonously.

"The strength of the gravity however, is not as substantial as your facial features may suggest, captain. The way in which the planet is positioned allows the sustainment of a large orbit."

"What has that got to do with anything?" McCoy seethed as he fidget between the heels of his feet to the left side of Jim, his eyes switching from the singularity to Spock across from him.

"Everything doctor." Spock regarded McCoy briefly before turning his full attention back to Jim, "The ship you are attempting to contact is in orbit of the planet. With the planet caught inside the back holes gravity it is logical to assume that the ship, although slightly further away is also under the same temporal conditions."

"Temporal-" Bones cut himself off as he went full circle, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forwards unwittingly encroaching into Jim's personal space. "Darn it you hobgoblin! I don't speak it riddles! What _temporal_ conditions?"

"Initial scans of the singularity and its size show that it consists of a large spinning disk. This in combination with the initial results of the strength of its gravity would suggest that as well as moving the space in which it exists…" Spock paused as he turned his gaze back down to Jim. "it is also capable of effecting time."

"Time?" Bones echoed as Jim pushed the Doctor away from the side of the chair.

"What Spock is trying to say is-" Jim bit the inside of his lip as he considered the obscenity of his next words. "-their time is moving faster than ours."

"Don't be stupid, Jim, that's not possible." Bones sighed sarcastically, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "That's the kind of thing you see in science fiction films!"

"To the contrary doctor, the planet you see before you now is evidence that the-"

"Lieutenant Uhura!" Jim announced louder than necessarily needed, however its effect of stopping the oncoming debate between his medical chief and second in command had worked successfully. Snapping his mouth closed from the interruption, Spock glanced between Jim and McCoy once more before following the captain's gaze across to Starfleet's best communications officer. "Any suggestions?"

Nyota frowned as she glanced between the commanding officers; the soft blue light from her console highlighting her angled cheekbones. "If what Commander Spock is suggesting is the case, then communication between the ships is going to be incredibly difficult to maintain, captain."

Jim nodded slowly as his eyes slipped away from Nyota and to Sulu who waited eagerly. "Surely we can still send a signal across to them? Can't we directed it specifically to the ship?" Hiraku questioned as the pilot shared a hesitant twitch with Chekov.

Uhura hummed in agreement, her face soft as she smiled warmly at her fellow lieutenant. It was unspoken that Mister Sulu meant no harm in his suggestion, he was merely trying to help brainstorm in the crew's current predicament.

"I can send them a signal, but with the temporal difference we have no idea when they would receive it, plus it would only be us talking to them as i am unable to decipher any incoming transmissions." Uhura explained, earning a sigh of realisation from Sulu.

"There is another way." Jim announced suddenly, a cheeky smirk filling his features as he rose from his chair abruptly. Smoothing down his uniform, the captain stepped away from the center of the room as he eyed the two lieutenants mischievously.

Following his step forward, Spock remained Jim's ever present shadow. "Captain, I strongly object to the course of action you have decided to undertake."

"I haven't done anything yet Spock." Jim interjected softly as he spared his first officer a brief glance. Marching away from his chair, Kirk returned to Uhura's station; his forearm resting across the overhead display screen as he leant inwards. Before her, Uhura's screen pulsated with small snippets of the incoming signal, its message unclear as an undecipherable series of digits and letters scrolled across its width.

"Lieutenant Uhura, can you send the ship a message. Inform them that we have intercepted their signal and are struggling to decipher its meaning due to the singularity. Therefore we will be sending over a passive team consisting of medical and engineering officers to help with any potential problems. Please also inform them that I will personally be assisting the away mission."

"Yes sir." Nyota responded as she minimised the incoming message and began formulating her own. Standing upright, Jim pulled away from her station his eyes seeking out the young Russian whizkid from across the room.

"Mister Chekov, comm the hangar bay and have them prepare one of the shuttles for take off immediately."

Chekov nodded in response, a small grin filling his features. "Yes keptin."

Nodding out of respect, Jim twisted on the heel of his foot as he allowed his eyes to slowly span across the width of the room and back to Spock where he stood alongside the Doctor beside his chair.

"Spock, I'll be taking one of your science officers. Give me your best, i know you'll want as many samples as possible on the temporal distortion."

Moving forwards with determination in his stride, Spock came to a halt before Jim; his eyes narrowed as he eyed the captain closely. Slowly Bones plodded along afterwards, his forehead wrinkled with frown marks as he seemed to disagree with the situation in its entirety.

"I volunteer myself for this away mission, captain, as I would appreciate the opportunity to study the effects myself."

"Spock-"

"Need I also remind you that as well as your first officer, I am the highest qualified science officer aboard this ship. If you would like captain, I can continue to cite references as to why i am the most qualified for this mission."

"Fine, Spock." Jim raised his hands in defeat, although he made it an effort to appear to be frustrated, the truth of the situation was that Kirk was actually relieved. With his mind in the state that it was, Spock's ever calm and precise command was a good thing to fall back on. "Mister Sulu you have the conn."

"Yes sir." Sulu chimed all too happily as he rose from his position to relieve Jim and Spock.

"Let's get going then!" Jim exclaimed all too falsely as he gestured across towards the turbolift. Plodding forwards, the doors to the small unit opened allowing Spock and Bones to squeeze inside, before settling between his two friends himself. The tension which hung in the air was deafening, the butterflies which fluttered in Jim's stomach increasing in intensity as the doors slowly began to hiss closed.

"Sir!" From nowhere, a rogue hand blocked the doors from closing, allowing Jim to take a deep breathe again. Following the long slender fingers up to the face of their owner, Kirk's lungs instantaneously deflated once more as Lieutenant Uhura gestured to the small cramped space between Kirk and Spock. "May I?"

"Certainly Lieutenant." Jim muttered as he shuffled across to make room. Slipping in effortlessly, the doors to the lift closed once more and as it whirled to life and headed towards the lower decks of the Enterprise.

Not wanting to bask in the awkward silence any longer, Jim coughed dryly into a fist. "Bones, I am going to need two or three of your best medical officers to accompany myself and Spock to this ship."

Groaning a undecipherable string of insults under his breath, Bones sighed over exasperatedly. "I knew you'd ask me that. So I've already got doctor M'Benga ready to cover my shift until I return."

"Wait-" Jim frowned as he whirled around to face the doctor behind him, his eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"I'm coming Jim. The least you can be is grateful! I'm single handedly cutting the amount of personnel you need to bring in half, I'm sure I can handle any injuries that they may have over there. Besides you saw it yourself, the ship didn't exactly look damaged."

Jim nodded slowly as he turned back to staring at the screen counting down their arrival to the hangar bay. The numbers which signified the decks seemed to be appearing on the small screen slower and slower with each passing second, the uneasy tension not aided by the uncomfortable silence which overtook them all once again.

"That and at least this way i can keep an eye on you." Bones practically growled as he finally addressed the elephant in the room.

"I KNEW IT!" Jim exclaimed as he whirled around back to face his CMO, a wave of frustration throwing his mind off kilter. "Bones I don't need you to come along and babysit me."

"When your health is concerned Jim, i make it my priority."

"God not this again. I'm fine now, the stuff you injected me with worked! My migraine is gone!"

"That's what's worrying me Jim!" Bones exclaimed, his finger prodding into the shoulder of the captain. "You need to hear us out man! If the Lexorin worked, then that means the stuff Spock told me-"

"Shut-up both of you." Jim commanded as he jolted his shoulder away from the doctors accusatory finger and turned away to face the door once more. Feeling all eyes on him, Jim focused intently on tracing the outline of his teeth with his tongue while he awaited the turbolift to descend the final few levels.

"Captain, I wasn't aware that I had-"

"Argh." Jim groaned again as Spock went to interject. He was moments away from stirring another round in their argument when Uhura cleared her throat loudly silencing all three of them as she reminded them all of her presence.

"Captain, I hate to interrupt but I would like to request my presence on this away team."

The doors to the turbolift hissed open as they finally reached the level they had been awaiting for. As the doors opened wide, the heat of engineering washed over Jim causing his eyes to water momentarily. Stepping aside, Jim left the lift as he surveyed the bustle of ensigns around him.

"Captain?" Uhura questioned again, causing Kirk to turn back to the lift. The lieutenant remained standing between Spock and Bones, all three of them watching him with interest as he stepped forwards once more. Glancing between Spock and Bones, Jim gestured for the two to leave wordlessly.

Inclining his head, Spock moved past the captain and Nyota, his eyes lingering on the latter for a few moments before disappearing amongst a swarm of redshirts. Hesitating for a few moments, McCoy glared angrily at Jim before pardoning himself with Nyota and retreating after Spock amongst the bustling sea of personnel.

Content they were alone, Jim returned his attention back to Uhura. "Request denied. I need you on the bridge lieutenant, you're the best communications officer I have and the smartest too. If something happens and we need to get a message across, you and mister Chekov are the only people I have faith in to be able to work something out. Because of that, I need you here." Jim explained, his tone warm as he watched a fleeting expression of gratitude fill Nyota's face.

"Thank you sir, I understand." Uhura acknowledged, the disappointment weighing heavy in her words. Jim smiled as he reached outwards, his hand clasping the young woman's shoulder as he squeezed it reassuringly.

Turning to leave, Kirk dropped his arm away from the lieutenant however was surprised when Uhura reached outwards and caught his retreating hand. Glancing back, Jim frowned as Nyota shuffled forwards slowly; her eyes glancing around to ensure that there were no ears other than their own listening.

"Sir, I don't mean to pry but... whatever is going on between the three of you, you need to fix it. If i heard Doctor McCoy right when he said he had given you Lexorin, then i would recommend you listen to him, that stuff never means any good."

Stunned into silence, Jim simply watched as Uhura backed up into the turbolift once more, her eyes filled with worry as they remained locked on to his own. Gradually the white doors to the lift hissed softly closed; breaking their contact.

 _ **A/N - Thank you for the continued support and reviews! I really appreciate it! Especially when I spent two hours researching black holes! (Its actually really interesting!)**_


	5. Part Five - Doctor Time

**Part 5 - Doctor Time**

"Sir we are about to pass into the gravity well of the singularity, I would recommend that you secure your brace now if you haven't already."

Jim's eyes snapped upwards to the nearby speaker, his eyelids narrowing as he numbly registered it was the voice of their pilot. Slowly the vibration which rattled the shuttle increased in its frequency and strength, leading Kirk to slowly straightened his back from his previously hunched position against his rigid metal chair. Grasping the loose leather straps which rested either side of his hips, Kirk brought the metal buckle together relaxing as it released a satisfying click.

Across from where he was positioned, Spock sat as still as anything Jim had ever seen. The Vulcan's all too human eyes were cast downwards; heavily engrossed in the pad which sat clutched tightly in his left hand, while his right hand held outwards a science issued tricorder. The tricorder was small in size, its edges lined with a soft rubber to improve grip; in the top right hand corner of the device, two small speakers emitted a soft whirring sound indicating its success in registering the readings of the parameters which had been allocated by Spock.

Spock hadn't said a word since they had took up their positions on the shuttle. Jim had also noted that his first officer and friend, had opted to take up the position beside Doctor McCoy rather than his usual presence beside himself. Allowing his eyes to wander, Jim's attention fell to the grouchy human doctor he called his friend; Bones.

Leonard seemed little impressed by Spock's current position, his deep brown eyes carefully watching the hazardous tricorder which was outstretched beside him. Needless to say, Bones had already spouted off about the effectiveness of a tricorder to successfully poke out someone's eyes.

"Recommend that we brace." Leonard blew a raspberry as he broke Jim's mindless reverie. Kirk smirked to himself, as he watched Bones fiddle with the fastening of his belt for the uptenth time.

Within a moment, Jim's eyes met Leonard's in an awkward stare off. He had been trying to avoid Bones's weak attempts at glaring at him the whole journey, however now he had his attention the Doctor seemed poised to release an unrelenting verbal attack. Hesitating, Jim opened his mouth to speak; the words he wanted to say flailing on his tongue as he decided better of it. Now was not the time to be sentimental.

The silence was suffocating.

"Spock." Jim cleared his throat as he tilted his head inquisitively. "Got anything interesting?"

Spock regarded Jim briefly, his eyes devoid of any sign of emotion before turning back to the instrument in his hand. "The answer to your question, Captain, relies on your definition of the term 'Interesting'."

The ship suddenly rocked violently, causing Kirk to grasp tightly to the metal hand rests either side of his lap. The three ensign engineers which accompanied them, released their collective held breaths as they seemingly began to chatter away about the experience in the corner of the shuttle. Taking a calming breath of his own, the captain risked a glance out one of the small windows which lined the shuttle's hull, his eyes catching nothing but darkness.

Allowing his gaze to fall from the singularity, Kirk caught Bones's face just in time to register a fleeting panicked expression as it dissolved away from the reddened face of Leonard McCoy.

Discarding all petty attempts at ignoring the doctor, Jim held his head high.

"Bones?" Jim paused as he waited for the doctor's eyes to meet his own, "You alright?"

"Do I look alright, Jim?" McCoy announced grouchily, "I'm sat in a pressurised can flying into the gravity well of one of the largest singularities I have ever seen. I think this scenario constitutes a legitimate reason to have raised blood pressure!"

Spock risked a wayward glance from his pad to the doctor, his head tilting to the side in consideration. Jim thought for a moment that Spock may have had a comment of his own, however the glance sent his way from McCoy would have been enough to put even Jim off.

Amused by the interaction of his two closest friends, Jim relaxed back into his seat. He could almost forget about the situation that brought them to this moment. Well, he could if he didn't have the constant reminders from Bones's glares and incoherent ramblings.

"You know, I almost have an easier time talking to the Vulcan than I do to you." McCoy announced loudly, earning the interest of the group of engineers in the corner of the shuttle. With a sudden rush of hisses, Jim noted all too embarrassingly that they now had an audience.

"Seeing as Vulcans do not communicate on the same emotional level as humans, I will take that as a compliment doctor." Spock recited as he seemingly disregarded all interest in the readings he was receiving and instead lowered his tricorder and pad.

"Almost, Spock. I said almost." Bones sighed as he rolled his eyes dramatically, turning away from Spock the doctor's gaze fell once more on Jim. "I brought along another two hyposprays of Lexorin, Jim, I need to give you another dose within the next hour to start building it up in your system. Hopefully we won't be on this ship for too long, but knowing our luck I bought a second one in case."

At that Spock's ears seemingly twitched, "Doctor, you imply that this mission has a high probability of not going to plan?"

"Imply?" Bones echoed incredulously.

Spock nodded once in affirmation.

"I might aswell be a fortune teller." Bones mumbled under his breath as he simultaneously crossed his arms over his chest in a sulking posture.

"Your use of the term, 'knowing our luck' seemed to indicate that you had a sixth sense of the mission. I feel it is important to inform you that statistically, only nineteen point five percent of missions do not go according to plan when lead by myself, compared to forty eight point five percent when lead by the Chief Medical Officer."

The silence which seemed to reign the shuttle earlier returned with avengence as the ensigns in the corner became all to aware of their silence and returned to whispering away once again.

Bones meanwhile seemed to blink twice, as if the words had struck him across the face and left him at a loss for words. Watching a small vein pop out on the doctor's forehead, Jim crossed his arms as he continued to watch the exchange before him. If it took Bones's mind of his current predicament then he would welcome it any day.

After considering his words and the doctor's expression, Spock quickly tagged an additional comment to the end of his analysis. Jim liked to think of it as the Vulcan's way of softening the previous insult. "However the higher percentage is down to the size of the sample taken."

Taking a deep breath, McCoy sighed. "Are you saying that i'm inexperienced?"

The shuttle rattled as a loud clanking sound resonated across the hull, the vibrations shaking Kirk's very core. Inquisitive, Jim clasped at his belt releasing the restraint as he stood upwards and risked a glance out of the adjacent window. No longer did the expanse of darkness encase all he saw, but a brief glimpse of light bathing the mysterious ship's engines told Jim all he needed to know. They were preparing to dock.

"No doctor, however if that is the conclusion that you draw from the results then that is your own analysis."

Jim winced as he kept his back turned from the debate ongoing behind him. He could almost picture the indignant face which was most likely splayed across Leonard's features.

"Analysis my a-"

As if by saving grace, the speakers to the shuttle erupted to live with static; silencing the shuttle once more. "Sir." he pilot's voice announced proudly, "We have docked with the ship."

Without sparing a moment more, Kirk sprung to life as he marched towards the front of the shuttle. Knocking once on the door which separated the cockpit from the rest of the cabin area, Jim awaited for a response. The ensign's which had previously been sat in the corner had already moved towards the adjacent airlock which had the established connection between the shuttle and the mysterious ship. The three ensigns continued to laugh as they awaited their orders, If their energy was anything to go by, then this was probably their first away mission.

A soft click resonated through the shuttle, spurring Jim to face a young woman before him. Off the side of her shoulder, the pilot remained seated. Instead his assistant had stood to answer the door; her face stoic as she awaited orders.

"Good work." Jim complimented as he leaned forwards so that the pilot could hear.

Taking in his surroundings with more detail, Kirk noted with unease the flashing panels surrounding him as error messages seemed to splay across the screens. The pilot himself barely turned to acknowledge the compliment, instead his head remained low as a bead of sweat trailed down the side of his face while he tapped away furiously in concentration.

The woman before him coughed lightly into her hand, her hazel eyes locking onto Jim's as she caught his attention. "Thank you sir. Initial scans at this close range show that the ship's life support systems are functional. You should be ok to board, I am sure we can maintain the connection."

Taking another glance at the warning signs pulsing across the screens, Jim shook his head.

"Negative, as soon as we are off I want you to return to the Enterprise. If this ship is not salvageable then we will send across a signal, that way we can contact you if we need to be extracted. Just make sure you give the craft a once over before its commissioned for flight again, it looks like it's undergone a little strain just getting here."

"Yes sir." The pilot resounded, a tinge of relief in his voice.

"Thank you sir." The assistant echoed as she stood to attention before closing the door softly.

Turning away, Jim approached the three ensigns, Spock and Bones. The small group stood huddled around the entrance to the adjacent ship, their eyes wide and inquisitive; ready for whatever was about to be thrown their way.

"Ok, let's do this."

Nodding once, Spock began to access the shuttles side panel; his long slim fingers tracing the screen's interface as he worked to open the door. With a loud hiss of pressurised air, the metal door to the shuttle slowly opened wide to expose the interior of the mysterious ship.

Pushing his way gently forward's, Kirk was the first to step onto the small ship. Initially from the readings the Enterprise provided, the ship seemed no bigger than a ordinary shuttle. However, it's interior stated otherwise. Unlike the basic layout of a Federation shuttle, the ship they found themselves on was more complex with corridors and control panels at either end; indicating that there were a variety of rooms. To their right at the end of the long corridor appeared to be a large powered door, above it was positioned a sign which read 'Mess', indicating that the ship had the capacity for a medium sized crew.

While Jim stood taking in his surroundings, the three ensigns all clambered towards the right end of the corridor where Jim had just been surveying. Clattering to the floor, the three seemed particularly interested in a scorched area of metal; their hands tracing the damage as they muttered between themselves.

"Sir." A young man announced as he brushed down his red shirt, "this damage needs repairing immediately. If it is left any longer then it could compromise the hull integrity. I am going to need the help of Ensign Landy and Cooper to restore this."

Jim nodded slowly as he glanced across to Spock. The Vulcan seemed to meet his gaze with a minor inclination of his head; a notion which Kirk had interpreted as agreement.

"Start work on repairs here, keep in contact with your communicators." Kirk ordered, earning a simply nod from the ensign as he returned to his work.

Spinning on his heel slowly, Jim turned his attention back to Spock and Bones who awaited patiently beside him. "In the meantime we will head to the bridge."

Marching forwards Kirk lead the way down the left side of the corridor, his eyes focused as he evaluated his surroundings. Bones had been right when they had been on the bridge, there seemed to be little damage to the ship on the outside. The only form of evidence of a possible attack, appeared to be the scorch marks which the ensigns had discovered. But even then, the marks didn't necessarily mean that they had been caused by phaser fire.

Something was definitely awry with the situation they were in, how could a ship which showed evidence of carrying a medium sized crew be empty and simply drifting on the edge of a black hole not show any signs of attack? Where had the crew gone?

To put it simply, Jim was not about to let his guard down.

Reaching to his side absent mindedly, Kirk rested his hand on his phaser gently.

"You know, I'm starting to regret my 'extra-curricular' activities." Bones murmured as he clutched tightly at the medical bag in his hand.

"The probability of such a comment was high considering our previous conversation aboard the shuttle."

"Not this again…" Jim groaned in mild annoyance as he struggled to maintain his concentration. "What Spock means is that he is surprised you volunteered in the first place, Bones."

"Captain, that is not-"

"Would it kill you to just admit that you like my companionship Spock." Bones exclaimed as they turned yet another corner and headed towards what Jim assumed was the bridge of the ship.

"To do so would insinuate emotions, doctor." Spock retaliated as he regarded Leonard from the corner of his eye.

"Don't act like it's a foreign thing to you, I wonder when you were younger were you always so stuck up?"

Spock opened his mouth to retaliate when a loud clashing noise resounded from the door beside him. Raising his phaser, Jim turned back to face his friends. Using a flurry of and indications, Jim signalled for Bones to remain silent as himself and Spock took up position. Sliding quietly across the floor, JIm felt his heart rate increase in pace as he pressed his back against the wall beside the door.

"We go on three." Jim ordered as he watched Spock closely. "One, Two-"

Without warning the door to the room they had been guarding flung itself open.

"SUPRISE!"

Stumbling backwards, Jim tried to regain his composure as he slowed his rapid breathing. At the same time, Bones seemed to be cursing under his breathe as he had seemingly lept away a good few feet from the sudden surprise visitor.

"Identify yourself." Spock ordered as he remained as professional as ever, his phaser still pointed towards the shadowy figure before them.

Stepping forwards into the hazy red light of the corridor, an andorian stood tall before them all. He appeared to narrow his eyes as his long blue antennae twitched and spasmed at the sight of them before him. Shaking his head slowly, the andorian expressed his age as he began to wander down the rest of the corridor; completely unfathomed by their presence.

"That is no way to show respect to your host." The andorian croaked. Following close behind, Kirk indicated for Spock and Bones to follow, his interest had peaked at the appearance of what Jim assumed to be a member of the crew.

"With respect, you did just surprise three federation officers which had phasers trained at the door." Bones interrupted as he fell in line behind Jim, his face only just returning to its usual complexion once more.

"Apologies, It just seemed like the right…" The andorian stopped dead on his heel as he spun around erratically, "Time. Yes! Time!"

Content with his answer, the andorian continued to lead them along the corridor a door at the end indicating that they were approaching the bridge.

"What is your name?" Jim questioned as returned to the mystery at hand- the unknown whereabouts of the ship's original crew.

"I am the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole." The andorian recited with glee as he stopped outside the door to the bridge. Turning, the blue skinned alien proceeded to straighten the laboratory coat he wore, his eyes narrowing inwards on Kirk as he seemed to evaluate him closely.

"Say what now?" Jim murmured as he glanced across to his right for help from Spock.

"I believe he just defined time itself." Spock informed with a quipped eyebrow.

"Indeed that is who I am. Doctor Time." Time laughed as he pushed open the door to the bridge, his heels clipping as he almost skipped inside. "Tick tock tick tock tick tock…"

Jim held back a few moments before following the Andorian who referred to himself as 'Time' into the room. Already he could see from his position, a variety of monitors set up across the walls each displaying a series of numbers which would commonly be derived as the time. However, each monitor seemed to display a different series of numbers, a difference which spiked Kirk's curiosity further.

Feeling Bones's gaze fall upon him, Jim glanced briefly to the side. Before him, Leonard portrayed a sense of disbelief as he slowly raised his hand to his temple and spun his index finger in a circular motion, effectively signalling the Andorian before them was crazy.

Suppressing a laugh at his friend's antics; the Andorian may be crazy but he seemed harmless enough. For all he knew, 'Doctor Time' could have been a victim from whatever had happened to the ship.

Jim stepped onto the bridge slowly with Spock and Bones close behind. "Doctor Time, if you don't mind me asking, What happened? Where is your crew?"

"My crew? I have no crew-" the Andorian peered closely at Jim's uniform before continuing, "-Captain… Instead i have my experiments. They give me all the company I need!"

"Jim, I think it's safe to say that this man has lost his mind." Bones hushed beside him with a tone of panic tinging his words.

"Your crew? You must of had a crew!" Jim exclaimed again. He knew what Bones was saying was true, but as the exchange went on he couldn't shake the feeling that the Andorian knew more than what he was letting on.

Shaking his head, 'Doctor Time' turned away from them all and began to rummage through a pile of junk which had been thrown onto the captain's chair. Kirk glanced sideways briefly, numbly noting that Spock had continued with his own investigations to the side of the bridge while the exchange had gone on.

It was in the moments of watching Spock sift through a pile of paperwork at a nearby station that it dawned on Jim, a horrible chilling realisation which sent a shiver through his spine. Clearing his throat, Jim turned back to the Andorian.

"Where are your experiments?"

"My experiments? They just popped outside for some air." Time announced with a discarded wave of his hand towards the viewscreen.

Clambering forwards, Jim rushed to the front of the ship closely followed by Bones.

"Oh my god. Is that-" Bones paused as he pointed out at the faint speckles which lined the distance before them. The view-screen faced the looming black hole with ease, however unlike before when they had been watching the twisting nether from the Enterprise, there appeared to be speckles of colour covering the distance between the ship and the darkness. On closer inspection, the speckles weren't that at all but instead the bodies of Andorian's floating out in space, slowly being pulled towards the singularity, three or four small escape pods also drifted helplessly toward the point of no return. They appeared at different sizes however, indicating that they had been ejected at different times.

"Spaghettification would have affected some of them by now, as time and gravity fight they will get stretched into long strings. They will have the pleasure of watching the whole of time and space before their eyes in seconds!" 'Time' explained a little too enthusiastically.

The loud ringing of a piece of metal clattering to the floor of the bridge broke Jim from his mindless gaze.

Feeling an anger well from the pit of his stomach, Kirk turned abruptly to face the Andorian. However his anger soon turned into concern at the sight of 'Doctor Time' before him. 'Time' appeared to be wearing some form of gas mask across his face, his hands splayed outwards at his sides as a small container in his hand released a torrent of smoke and gas into the room.

Reaching for his phaser, Jim frowned as the world around him began to morph; twisting and turning as he struggled to retain his consciousness. Hearing a dull thud beside him, Kirk assumed that McCoy had passed out already from the unknown gas which flooded their systems, his eyes unable to focus long enough to search out for Spock's presence in the room.

"Spock?" Jim croaked as he reached out blindly for some form of support.

"You look like a man who knows the importance of time, Captain." The Andorian tutted as he paced towards Jim.

Shaking his head frantically, Kirk fell to his knees as the unnerving sound of ticking began to reverberate through his mind.

"You of all people know, that time waits for no man."

 **A/N - Apologies for the long gap between the updates. Everything should be back to normal now!**


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